MLB Insiders - Chicago Cubs

The Pirates open a three game weekend series on Friday at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. Right-hander Ian Snell will be on the hill for the Bucs in the opener. The Cubs will counter with lefty Rich Hill.

The Cubs look for a seventh consecutive win over the Pirates as the teams open a three-game set Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

In order to have a chance at another sweep of the Pirates, the Cubs will likely need a strong outing from starter Rich Hill on Friday.

Hill (0-0, 5.00 ERA) has struggled in his first two outings of 2008, and most recently allowed three runs and three hits while walking four in three innings of Chicago's 7-3 win at Pittsburgh on April 10.

Hill will look to improve on his 2-1 mark with a 4.08 ERA in six career starts versus the Pirates.

Ian Snell will try to get his team on track after Pittsburgh lost 8-1 at Los Angeles on Wednesday for its second straight defeat to drop the three-game series with the Dodgers.

Snell (2-0, 3.93) has all but one of the starting rotation's three victories and managed to earn a win after allowing three runs and nine hits in 6 1-3 innings in a 4-3 home win over Cincinnati on Sunday.

The education of center fielder Felix Pie continues. And to hear manager Lou Piniella tell it, he's willing to give that education a little time.

Pie was supposed to start all three games against the Reds this week but he started only the first, when he struck out three times.

Not only did Pie go back to the bench, he went back to the drawing board, too. Piniella said the 23-year-old Pie is taking extra batting practice and that "we're filming everything so he can see it."

Piniella added Pie also is working with the Cubs' strength coach.

The Cubs want Pie to "shorten up his swing" and "hit more front-sided than back-sided."

It might take a week of batting practice and extra work for things to begin kicking in, Piniella said.

REDS 9, CUBS 2: Ted Lilly fell to 0-3 with an ERA of 9.16, but he did have his longest outing of the season. Lilly worked six innings, giving up six hits and five runs. He gave up a three-run double to Joey Votto in the fourth and a two-run homer to Votto in the sixth. The Cubs couldn't put away Reds starter Edinson Volquez when they had him on the ropes in the fourth down 3-1. Henry Blanco missed a sign and bunted foul with two strikes and men on first and second and none out, and the Cubs failed to score. The Cubs were 2-for-11 with men in scoring position.

--LHP Rich Hill will make his first start since April 10 when he starts Friday against the Pirates at Wrigley Field. Hill went to the bullpen in the meantime but did not pitch in relief. The Cubs are looking for Hill to be more aggressive with his pitches.

--CF Reed Johnson tied his career high with four hits. Johnson singled three times and doubled. Johnson has supplanted Felix Pie in center, and it's possible manager Lou Piniella will bat Johnson leadoff in one or more of the three games this weekend against the Pirates at Wrigley Field.

--RF Kosuke Fukudome failed to reach base for only the second time in 15 games, going 0-for-5. Fukudome is batting .327 with a .448 on-base percentage.

--2B Mike Fontenot started his second straight game as the leadoff hitter but went 0-for-5. He left the bases loaded in the second, two aboard in the fourth and two on in the sixth. Manager Lou Piniella said before the 9-2 loss that he'd be inclined to keep Fontenot batting first, but Piniella has been known to change his mind quickly.

--3B Aramis Ramirez walked in the third inning and has nine bases on balls in 15 games. That puts him on pace for 97. Ramirez's career high in walks is 50, set two years ago. Historically, Ramirez hasn't walked or struck out much, but he's shown uncharacteristic patience at the plate in April.

BY THE NUMBERS: 4 -- The Cubs already have a pair of games in which they've stolen four bases. They had only one such game last year, when manager Lou Piniella lamented a lack of team speed.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "That's no indication of who I am as a pitcher, but it's just something that I've got to go through. It's over. I'm just looking forward to the next start." -- Pitcher Rich Hill on his first two starts.